


True Story of a Shaggy Dog

by LizzyFranklin



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:35:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27746083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizzyFranklin/pseuds/LizzyFranklin
Summary: So how the heck is a 15-year-old dog so bouncy?Good news: Makkachin isn’t as old as he should be.Bad news: Makkachin isn’t as old as he should be.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 36





	True Story of a Shaggy Dog

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to find out who Daisuke is, go read Mari's World. It's long, but that's because it's really three story arcs.

Yuuri’s free skate at the Cup of Russia had just gone fairly well, despite having sent his coach Victor back to Japan after the short program, fearing for his dog’s life. Well, Yuuri feared for Makkachin’s life. Victor had feared Yuuri was sending himself into a panic spiral.

The TV had been turned off, and the onsen was closed for the evening when Victor and Makkachin returned from a before-bedtime walk. Yuuri’s sister Mari was taking the last of the dishes to the kitchen as Daisuke wiped down the tables. Dai straightened up and watched as Makkachin bounced up to lick Victor’s face, smiling at the antics. After a moment, his brows knitted.

“How old is Makkachin? He’s older than Vicchan was, but he acts much younger.” Yuuri’s dog, bought in honor of Victor’s, had died of old age the year before.

Victor shot Dai a … guilty? … look, and Makkachin took the opportunity to plant one right on Victor’s nose.

“Sit, Makka! People will say you have no manners.”

Dai watched Makka settle as Victor removed his leash. That done, Victor’s eyes met Dai’s, then slid away. “Good genes, I suppose.”

“No, seriously,” Dai pressed, “A standard poodle’s average life span isn’t that different from a teacup poodle’s. And Makka has enormous energy for a – what, 15 year-old dog?”

Mari walked into the common room just in time to hear this. 

“Please tell me Makka isn’t actually going to die of old age in my arms anyway.” She looked stricken, and Victor crouched down and buried his hands in Makka’s fur.

“No,” he said, “Makka will probably be with us another decade.”

He glanced up to see the other two looking at him in astonishment, and went back to looking at Makkachin’s fur intently.

Dai and Mari glanced at each other. “Victor-chan, come have a seat” said Mari, as Dai grabbed a bottle of plum wine and some clean glasses from the bar. Victor gave a sigh and allowed himself to be herded to the table, where Makkachin settled in his lap. He played with the glass in his right hand, while stroking Makka’s ears with his left.

“If I tell you a story, can you promise it won’t go any farther? It wouldn’t cause a scandal, but I would find it personally embarrassing.” The other two agreed.

“This is Makka mark two. The original Makkachin died in a car accident, along with my parents.”

He glanced up at their dropped jaws, then quickly dropped his gaze and gulped some of the plum wine.

“I’m so sorry! But – why is that embarrassing, that you used the same name for your next dog?”

“Because for the first couple of weeks, I didn’t realize it was a different dog.”

Mari set a hand on Makkachin’s hindquarters. Victor smiled a little. From Mari, this was as good as holding Victor’s hand.

“…how?” she asked.

“I was away at a competition in America when the accident happened. Yakov and the rest of the training staff thought it would be easier on me if at least Makka had survived, so they called Makka’s breeder. I don’t know what they thought would happen – I wasn’t going to mistake a puppy for a full-grown dog – but the breeder happened to have taken back a dog just a week before after its owner had died. This dog was a little over a year old. It was the same bloodline as Makka, with the same coloring. So I got back, and my dog was alive but acting oddly. I thought Makka was grieving for my parents, too, but the behavior was strange – crying and scratching, but also racing around unexpectedly. It didn’t even occur to me that it might be a different dog.”

Dai and Mari looked at each other again. Should they ask the obvious question? It would be rude, but….

Victor caught the look, and guessed correctly. “Makka was buried with my parents. Because of the accident, it was closed-casket. At least I would have been going to the right place to mourn, right?

Mari twined her fingers in Makkachin’s fur while Dai pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I cut off my hair and threw it in the grave before they were buried,” Victor continued. I’ve kept it short ever since.”

“Is that a Russian custom?”

“No, it just – felt like I should make a sacrifice of some kind. I was really attached to my hair, so I chose that. I don’t think I was quite in my right mind for awhile.” Victor took another drink, staring at the table. Their looks of sympathy were almost too much. Makka shifted, licking Victor’s hand.

“So – when did they tell you about the replacement?”

“They didn’t. Makkachin was acting oddly, and after two weeks of it, I went to the vet without mentioning to anyone that I was going to do so. The vet told me it wasn’t the same dog – the teeth were those of a much younger dog, and they hadn’t microchipped the new Makkachin. I came up with some crazy stories for how the dogs had gotten swapped, and worried about where my dog was, before I got hold of Yakov and he finally gave me the story.

“So Makka and I were both grieving for lost family, and it made sense we were together. But I’d posted on Instagram that Makka had survived, and I felt like a fool for not realizing that this wasn’t the same dog. So I just … never mentioned it. And now this is my dog, Makkachin.”

“And…how old is Makkachin mark two?” asked Dai.

“My parents died when I was twenty-two, so Makka is about six now.”

Daisuke raised his glass. “To lost companions.”

Mari raised hers, the corner of her mouth quirking up. “To long life.”

Victor raised his in turn. “To the best of friends.”


End file.
